A Simple Misunderstanding
by Wooden Shoe
Summary: Just a bit of fluff between the brothers and April. Since they're male hairless reptiles, the brothers might have a simple misunderstanding when they see April after she's shaved her legs... Rated for a mistaken case of self-harm. I promise I'm being VERY delicate with this VERY sensitive subject.


_This is just a little one shot that popped into my head. The turtles are all reptiles and males, so they would have no clue that human women shave their legs._

 _Cutting is very heavily implied, but I'm not making a joke of it. I would NEVER joke about something so serious._

* * *

When Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey had snuck into April's apartment, she had been in the bathroom. 45 minutes later, she was still behind the locked door.

The turtles had lounged around waiting for her idly reading magazines (in Mikey's case, raiding the kitchen), listening to the music quietly playing in the bathroom and the swish of water in the tub.

After another five minutes, Raph got off the sofa and rapped on the bathroom door, calling out in his rough voice, "Hey, April, you almost done in there?"

April yelped and something clattered to the bathroom tile. The music cut off and there was the sound of splashing water. April called back, "Yeah- give me a sec!"

Less than a minute later she came out, her hair piled atop her head in a messy bun. The little bit of skin her baggy t-shirt revealed was also dry. She wore sweats, the hems brushing her ankles. But the left pant leg had been jerked up to her knee; her leg was wet with water. Midway down her shin, three long cuts sliced across her shin; blood trickled down her ankle to dribble on the carpet.

The brothers were instantly on high alert, swarming to her. "What happened?"

"Are you okay?"

April waved them off, hobbling to a chair. "I'm fine, I just cut myself."

Suddenly all four brothers stiffened, silently locking gazes. April didn't notice, wincing as she settled herself into the pressing a hand towel to her shin. The white fibers of the towel quickly turned red. She grimanced. "Will one of you go grab a few band-aids?"

Michaelangelo quickly ran to the bathroom, returning with a box of band-aids and a jar of first aid cream. He handed them to her, stammering, "Here's the band-aids- and the cream cream you used when I burned myself making eggs. The label says it's good for cuts, too."

April smiled and thanked him, setting the box and jar on the low coffee table. She tried using one hand to open the jar; Leo saw her struggle and opened it for her. She thanked him, dipping two fingers in and scooping out some white salve. He winced with her as she pulled the towel away from her skin, the fibers sticking to her bloody skin.

Leo knew this was a serious problem, one that needed to be addressed now. He began unwrapping band-aids, passing them to her. "So... how often do you cut yourself?"

April didn't act as he thought she would; just the opposite, in fact, calm and even cheerily resigned as she replied, "Oh, every so often. It happens a lot."

Leo felt his gut twist with guilt, a guilt he knew his brothers felt just as sharply.

Raph approached the chair, crouching at April's knee, his gruff voice unusually gentle. "You know you don't have to do this, April. There's better ways of lettin' out yer feelin's."

She twisted her leg, revealing a nick on the back of her heel, and began tending to it, giving him a weird look. "What?"

Mikey nodded, his blue eyes and normally chipper voice dimmed and restrained. "Yeah. We all love ya; remember that. We're here for ya, an'-" he cut himself off, voice cracking.

Donatello finished for his youngest brother, voice soft. "We don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Hurt my-" April jerked to an absolute halt, then slowly pressed a band-aid to her heel. "Oh. _Ohh_."

Moving slowly, she put both her feet on the floor, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "You guys thought I was..." She couldn't say it.

"Aren't you?" Mikey asked, confusion tinting the sorrow in his voice.

" _No._ " Tears and humor twisted in April's eyes. "Of course not. I was shaving, and when Raph knocked on the door I jumped and the razor slipped."

"I didn't mean to scare ya," Raph mumbled. "I didn't mean for this to happen..."

April laid a hand on his shoulder. "Girls nick themselves when they shave, Raph. It's not your fault; it just happens."

"So, you're not self-harming?" Donnie pressrd, eyeing her as if searching for sign of a lie.

"I would _never_ self-harm, you guys." She blinked furiously. "But... it's sweet of you all to be so caring."

She wrapped an arm around Leo and Raph, squeezing them tight. Then she beckoned Mikey and Don closer, hugging them. When she let them go and they pulled away, April wiped away tears that had leaked down her cheeks. She hiccupped, snuffled and smiled shakily. "So... pizza?"

* * *

 _ _So, self harm is a SERIOUS problem. Please, if anyone put there is self-harming PLEASE DON'T. You are so beautiful and too precious to hurt yourself. Try an alternative way to let out your feelings; talk to someone, draw on your skin instead of cutting or burning. ANYTHING, but don't hurt yourself. You are too loved to be doing this. Your mother, father, grandparents, siblings and/or friends love you! Andn heavens above, if you don't think they do, then remember this: I LOVE YOU AS A FELLOW HUMAN BEING. Just, please don't hurt yourself any more. Please.__

* * *

 **BONUS:**

"April, it's been a whole hour and a half!" Mikey shouted. "And your heel's still bleeding!"

Holding a slice of greasy pepperoni pizza on a napkin, April smiled down at the youngest turtle, who had gallantly offered to change her now thoroughly bloodied band-aids. He'd been horrified to see that the nick on the back of her heel was still freely bleeding.

She laughed at the worry and disbelief on his face. "It's normal, Mikey. Don't worry about it."

He stripped the wrapper off a band-aid, muttering under his breath, "You humans are so weird."


End file.
